Tag: football

2025 NFC Conference Championship Playoff Pick

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Three games remain. Four teams with two in each conference. The remaining two in the NFC are the east wildcard Washington Commanders and their division winning rival Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams have potent offenses, solid quarterbacks, hard-hitting defenses, and intelligent coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.

#6 Washington Commanders v. #3 Philadelphia Eagles

In a thrilling divisional conference finals matchup, the winner could be determined by which starting quarterback has the better game.

Conference championship games featuring division rivalries are some of the best and most memorable playoff games in NFL history. Casual viewers can remember which year a team won a Super Bowl because of a rare, divisional matchup in this round. It’s also more fun if the teams split their regular season series.

Washington has nothing to lose since no one expected they’d reach the conference finals with first year head coach Dan Quinn re-vamping the roster. Philadelphia has to protect starting quarterback Jalen Hurts as much as possible after he suffered a knee injury last weekend. That means the winner of this game will be determined by two factors: the better receiving core and which offensive and defensive lines plays best.

Both teams have great receiving cores and tight-end depth. The Commanders great play-calling and complimentary slot receivers will be a reason the game stays close. However, the Eagles have better receiver depth with Jahan Dotson and Parris Campbell. Philadelphia’s receiving core should have another big game against a mediocre secondary.

Philadelphia’s receiving core features one of the league’s best wideouts in A.J. Brown (11). Brown was great against Washington’s secondary in both regular season games.

There’s no offensive and defensive line comparisons. The Eagles dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage and overwhelmed the Commanders with their pass rush and running game in both matchups. The offensive line cleared paths for starting runningback Saquon Barkley in both high scoring divisional games. Washington doesn’t have the same number of highly skilled players on both sides of the ball the Eagles do. That will show in the second half.

Finally, all five previous rookie quarterbacks who went to a conference championship game lost. Second overall pick Jayden Daniels might not play like a rookie, but his team’s not where they want to be yet. Philadelphia has more roster depth at their disposal to tire out the Commanders.

Prediction: Eagles win the NFC championship 34-28 and advance to Super Bowl LIX

NFC divisional round playoff picks record: 1-1

2025 NFC playoff picks record: 3-2

2025 AFC Conference Championship Playoff Pick

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Three games remain. Four teams with two in each conference. The remaining two in the AFC are the east winning Buffalo Bills and the west division winning and conference leading Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams have fast offenses, star quarterbacks, elite defenses, and bright-minded veteran head coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.

#2 Buffalo Bills v. #1 Kansas City Chiefs

Despite Patrick Mahomes’ success in the postseason, Bills quarterback Josh Allen will be the most important player.

Seen as the more exciting of the two Sunday games, the Bills were the only team to beat Kansas City in the regular season playing all their starters. Buffalo’s lopsided home win boosted confidence for a future re-match. However the Chiefs have home-field advantage and will give Buffalo’s offense plenty of communication problems.

While many see this as another round of the elite quarterback rivalry between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes II, the more important factors will be time of possession and which team runs the ball better. Kansas City has the offensive and defensive line advantages, a better running game, and a better playoff savvy receiver core. These factors should give the Chiefs the time of possession advantage. Kansas City remembers the mid-November beatdown in Highmark Stadium and wouldn’t mind giving the Bills their fourth straight head-to-head playoff loss in the last five years. It wouldn’t be a first for Buffalo.

Prediction: Chiefs win the AFC championship 31-21 and advance to Super Bowl LIX

AFC divisional round playoff picks record: 1-1

2025 AFC playoff picks record: 3-2

2025 NFC Divisional Round Playoff Picks

jminx943 Comments

The NFC wildcard weekend had everything audiences wanted. History was made with Washington’s first playoff win since 2005. Los Angeles won an emotional neutral location game last Monday night. The remaining four (the Detroit Lions had a week off) teams have a great shot at getting to both the conference championship and the Super Bowl. Even with an inexperienced Commanders team remaining, no team is an easy out. It’s time to analyze which two teams have the best chance at making the next round.

#6 Washington Commanders v. #1 Detroit Lions

The red-hot tight-end Sam LaPorta (89) and Detroit Lions offense returns to action after a week off.

The last time Washington won a playoff game, they played another road game in a loud, hostile atmosphere against the NFL’s best scoring offense led by a runningback with at least 20 touchdowns. Two decades and one more postseason win against the Buccaneers later, the Commanders get to play…another road game in a loud, hostile atmosphere against the NFL’s best scoring offense led by a runningback with at least 20 touchdowns. While it’s been a memorable year for Washington, they don’t have enough to stop a healthier and more determined Lions.

Prediction: Lions win 28-14

#4 Los Angeles Rams v. #2 Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia’s passing attack needs to improve against a rising Rams secondary. Wide receiver A.J. Brown should have a big game Sunday.

Another divisional round matchup that was featured on Sunday night football during the regular season, this re-match will be in Philadelphia instead of Los Angeles. Head coach Sean McVay has the Rams playing their best football since December while the Eagles passing game struggles.

Ironically, Philadelphia’s passing struggles shouldn’t be a problem in this matchup. They have the better offensive and defensive lines. The talent and depth showed when the Eagles throttled Los Angeles 37-20 in their regular season meeting. Quarterback Jalen Hurts should make more plays this weekend, but Philadelphia doesn’t need him to play his best yet.

Prediction: Eagles win 40-24

NFC wildcard weekend predictions record: 2-1

2025 AFC Divisional Round Playoff Picks

jminx943 Comments

Wildcard weekend wasn’t competitive in the AFC. Baltimore, Houston and Buffalo dominated their games and won with few scares. Just like last year’s divisional round, the remaining four (the Kansas City Chiefs had a week off) teams have a great shot at getting to both the conference championship and the Super Bowl. Even with an inexperienced Texans team remaining, no team is an easy out. It’s time to pick which two teams have the best chance of making the next round.

#4 Houston Texans v. #1 Kansas City Chiefs

Houston’s defense has to play their best game of the season and limit quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ mobility.

The easiest matchup in either conference. Kansas City won the regular season meeting on the winter solstice. While most of the Chiefs starters on offense and defense will play their first game in three weeks, they should pick up where they left off after week 17. Kansas City’s offense played better until they clinched the one seed, and head coach Andy Reid is phenomenal after a bye week. Houston needs a strong start to keep pace, but will struggle with wide receiver Tank Dell out the rest of the year.

Prediction: Chiefs win 34-21

#3 Baltimore Ravens v. #2 Buffalo Bills

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could shred Buffalo’s defense again Sunday afternoon.

This matchup could determine who wins league MVP. This time Buffalo plays at home and the defense is fully healthy. Both starting quarterback Lamar Jackson and runningback Derrick Henry must play their best game of the season in 23 degree weather.

Although Baltimore and Buffalo played each other Sunday night in week four, the result could be the same. Wide receiver Zay Flowers may not play due to a knee injury, but he had one catch for ten yards in the Ravens September rout. Jackson threw three touchdowns and Derrick Henry had over 200 all-purpose yards. The Bills defense may have stars like defensive end Greg Rousseau and middle linebacker Matt Milano, but tackling the heavy and quick Henry in freezing temperatures is a tall task. Buffalo’s offense will also have a lot of pressure to score every possession against an improved Baltimore defense. The Ravens could put this game away early in the second half.

Prediction: 42-24

AFC wildcard weekend picks record: 2-1

2025 NFC Wild Card Weekend Playoff Picks

jminx9410 Comments

The 2024-2025 NFL regular season is over. Seven teams in each conference have a chance to win the Vince Lombardi championship trophy. For those unfamiliar with the updated playoff format, an extra team was added. That means there’s one bye week for the top seeded team in each conference and a Monday night playoff game. Everyone wants to know which three teams in the NFC advance to the divisional round, so here are the best picks come Sunday.

#7 Green Bay Packers v. #2 Philadelphia Eagles

It’ll be a long day for Green Bay’s defense with a fully rested and healthy Saquon Barkley (26) ready to go.

Talk about a nightmare end to the regular season for Green Bay. The loss of Christian Watson to a non-contact knee injury will have Philadelphia’s defensive front feasting on the Packer offense. Runningback Josh Jacobs should soften some of the blows, but it’ll be a long day for quarterback Jordan Love. If it wasn’t lopsided enough, the Eagles will play all their rested offensive starters. A fresh Saquon Barkley will run rampant through a Packers defense that could be on the field most of the game.

Prediction: Eagles win 31-13

#6 Washington Commanders v. # #3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The last time an NFL team from Washington D.C. won a playoff game, it was in 2006 against the Chris Simms led Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Much has changed in 20 years, including the team favored to win. The Commanders had a great season under head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but the Buccaneers are better. Head coach Todd Bowles has plenty of tricks, schemes and disguises he didn’t use in the week one matchup against Washington. He also has the defense to snuff out the Commanders run game.

On the flip side, Tampa’s offense is superior to Washington’s defense. The feel-good story for the Commanders is nice, but they aren’t the better and more disciplined team.

Prediction: Buccaneers win 31-13

#5 Minnesota Vikings v. #4 Los Angeles Rams

Despite a thorough Thursday night home win against Minnesota, most audiences believed the Vikings could’ve tied before an egregious, uncalled facemask against the Rams sealed the loss.

By far the best wildcard matchup in the conference, many think this will be closer and kinder for the road team. That’s hard to believe when Los Angeles dominated Minnesota at the line of scrimmage in their regular season matchup. In many ways, last weekend’s whooping by Detroit’s defense was similar to how the Rams shut down the Vikings in late October. Minnesota’s defense also struggled against veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles offense. Stafford exploited one-on-one coverage matchups against receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. When Minnesota did counter the pass, runningback Kyren Williams averaged four yards a carry and wore out the Vikings defensive line.

Something else to watch is how Minnesota receiver Justin Jefferson plays against an aggressive defense. He was terrible in his last playoff performance (two years ago when the Vikings lost at home to the New York Giants) and was held to three catches for 54 yards in Minnesota’s most important game in the regular season. It’ll be interesting to see the takes on Jefferson if he disappears against a defense he had eight catches and 115 yards against almost three months ago.

Upset prediction of wildcard weekend: Rams win 35-24

2023 regular season playoff picks record: 4-3

2025 AFC Wild Card Weekend Playoff Picks

jminx942 Comments

The 2024-2025 NFL regular season is over. Seven teams in each conference have a chance to win the Vince Lombardi championship trophy. For those unfamiliar with the updated playoff format, an extra team was added. That means there’s one bye week for the top seeded team in each conference and a Monday night playoff game. Everyone wants to know which three teams in the AFC advance to the divisional round, so here are the best picks come Saturday.

#5 Los Angeles Chargers v. #4 Houston Texans

The most important matchup in the first playoff game might be Houston’s wide receivers versus the Chargers secondary. Whoever wins that matchup should advance to the divisional round.

The first playoff game should be a thrilling one as Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh makes his return. The Chargers run the ball and use extra blockers while the defense plays aggressive. Houston’s stumbled all season despite having better talent. Los Angeles is disciplined and methodical in how they attack opponents. Don’t be surprised if the Chargers break out and cruise to victory in the second half.

Prediction: Chargers win 30-23

#6 Pittsburgh Steelers v. #3 Baltimore Ravens

Viewers are in for another round of AFC north playoff football. Pittsburgh lost their last four games (including a season split with the Ravens) and Baltimore’s peaking at the best time. The Ravens cleaned up a lot of defensive errors while the Steelers struggle to score more than ten points a half. Defenses might have figured out offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and how quarterback Russell Wilson’s adapted out east. It won’t take long for reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson to break out.

Prediction: Ravens win 31-20

#7 Denver Broncos v. #2 Buffalo Bills

Denver’s best chance of an upset road win in Buffalo is to stifle the Bills offense all game.

This could be the best game all wildcard weekend. Denver has the defense to nullify Buffalo’s offense for at least one half. The Broncos offense v. the Bills defense will determine who wins this game. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix gets better each week but Buffalo’s Sean McDermott has plenty of tricks to use. The Bills have a good front seven, and that will wear out the Broncos offensive line and tight ends.

Prediction: Bills win 16-10

2024 regular season playoff picks record: 4-3

NFL Week 15 Winners and Losers

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After many weeks of waiting, teams are finally clinching playoff berths. Some teams secured their divisions and have chances at the number one playoff seed. Even more exciting are the teams that had chances to clinch and couldn’t, setting up more anticipation for the holidays. It’s time to see who or what else stood out during week 15.

Winners: Aaron Rodgers

It’s been a rough season for one of the NFL’s all-time best quarterbacks. While Aaron Rodgers has been mediocre this year, he’s starting to get back to his old form the past few weeks. Sunday might have been his best game in two years.

Rodgers completed 16 of 30 passes for 289 yards, three touchdowns and a 120 quarterback rating in a late win against Jacksonville. Two of the three scores went to receiver Davante Adams in the second half and both gave New York a lead. Aaron Rodgers also converted a two point conversion for the third week in a row. Yesterday’s two pointer forced the Jaguars to tie the game late. That tie led to a game-winning touchdown Rodgers led.

While Aaron Rodgers won’t be back with the Jets next season, he’ll be viewed favorably by most teams as a quarterback who can return to MVP form if he finishes the regular season playing like he has the last few weeks.

Houston Texans

Houston hadn’t beaten a playoff caliber opponent in months due to late game blunders. The Texans played one of their best games of the season yesterday and beat the desperate Dolphins.

The offense did enough with quarterback C.J. Stroud IV throwing two touchdowns to receiver Nico Collins. Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made all his field goal and extra point attempts. The defense sacked and intercepted Miami starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times (each) and gave up less than 250 yards of offense.

The best part for Houston was their fourth quarter shutout. After the Texans gave up a touchdown to tight end Jonnu Smith with four and a half minutes left in the third quarter, head coach DeMeco Ryans got the defense to tighten up. Both Dolphins fourth quarter offensive possessions ended in interceptions. That fourth quarter shutout led to Houston winning the AFC south and clinching a playoff spot.

James Conner

Runningback James Conner has been Arizona’s best offensive player this year. Whenever franchise star quarterback Kyler Murray’s struggled, Conner’s stepped up and kept the Cardinals in close games. When Murray and the passing attack plays well, Conner’s on another level.

Arizona’s decisive home win versus New England was led by the newly re-signed starting runningback. Conner ran 16 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 28 yards. Although both his scores were in the fourth quarter when the Cardinals had a double digit lead, James Conner already had more than 100 all-purpose yards and sparked ten of Arizona’s 16 points.

James Conner should be the main offensive player if the Cardinals have any chance of winning the NFC west. He does almost everything to keep Arizona’s offense relevant and can help steal at least one more division win.

Sean Payton

Many viewers wondered if Denver would keep head coach Sean Payton after this season if the Broncos had another awful year. Well, Payton led Denver to their first winning record in a decade. It’s also the first winning record for the franchise since their last championship. He could be a coach of the year candidate.

The Broncos trailed all but one quarter in a crucial home game against Indianapolis. This was the first game Denver played in years that would determine how close they’d stay in the playoff race. The Broncos needed a strong finish against a Colts defense that flustered rookie quarterback Bo Nix and shutdown the running game.

Payton’s team responded with a 21 point fourth quarter. Nix threw two touchdowns and linebacker Nik Bonitto returned a fumble/interception for a touchdown after an Adonai Mitchell lateral pass. The win all but eliminates Indianapolis from playoff contention.

Better news came for Denver when Los Angeles (more on them later) got crushed at home against Tampa Bay. The Broncos are second in the AFC west and could draw a weaker opponent for wild-card weekend.

Losers: Jake Haener

Every year there’s a quarterback fans forget for all the right reasons. This year it’s Jake Haener.

Haener was named starter for New Orleans last Friday by interim head coach Darren Rizzi. While social media quickly joked and memed his team photos taken earlier this season, his on-field play wasn’t funny. Washington was on its way to an easy shutout win with Haener leading the Saints offense. Jake Haener completed four of ten passes for 49 yards and an interception before Rizzi pulled him for Spencer Rattler after one half.

Many analysts said the Saints could’ve beaten the Commanders had Rattler completed a few more passes at the end of the game. Yes, Rattler did well in the half he played and should’ve converted a crucial two point conversion at the end. However, when a new starting quarterback leads an offensive possession more than five plays just once in five tries, that’s usually a sign of an incoming loss. The new quarterback usually doesn’t last more than a few games. At least Jake Haener can say he got to play in an NFL regular season game.

Jameis Winston

Unlike the unfortunate Jake Haener, Jameis Winston has been in the NFL for ten years, was a number one overall draft pick, and a league record holder. Their only similarities were ugly Sunday losses.

Winston underperformed against an elite Kansas City defense. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 146 yards and three interceptions. Two of the three turnovers ended offensive drives that would’ve led to points and one interception led to a Chiefs touchdown. Winston was benched after the third interception at the start of the fourth quarter.

Cleveland’s quarterback mess will continue regardless of who starts. Many believed the Browns had a chance to win more games with Jameis Winston under center. He’s led Cleveland to two wins and a lot of hair-pulling moments with his wild, turnover prone moments. Winston should return to a backup quarterback role next year.

Los Angeles Chargers

The first half of Tampa Bay v. Los Angeles was what many expected. It was a close game where both offenses put up double digit points, but the defenses also made great plays. The second half stunned many as the Chargers looked lost.

The Buccaneers played aggressive in the third quarter and scored 17 points. 14 went to franchise star receiver Mike Evans for a combined 92 yards. Tampa then closed out the game with a ten point fourth quarter. Los Angeles was shutout the second half and both fourth quarter offensive possessions ended in turnovers on downs.

It’s possible this was an early test for the Chargers before they got into the playoffs. Some teams need a late season loss to get ready for the postseason. It didn’t help that division rival Denver won a crucial conference game and is now second in the AFC west. Los Angeles can’t have another embarrassing home loss before the playoffs.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle entered Sunday night as the NFC west division leader and a playoff favorite. They left Sunday night out of the playoff race with an injured starting quarterback.

Green Bay was ready and started the game with a touchdown on a near six minute, 10 play, 63 yard drive. After Seattle’s first offensive possession ended in a three-and-out, the Packers scored another touchdown on a five minute, eight play, 80 yard drive.

The Seahawks were close to getting back into the game multiple times but committed too many errors. The first possession Seattle scored on, quarterback Geno Smith took a six yard sack on a third and three. The next possession, Smith threw a careless interception in Green Bay’s endzone to cornerback Carrington Valentine. That interception ended what was the best offensive possession Seattle had in the first half.

The night got worse when Geno Smith injured his lower leg mid-way through the third quarter. Backup quarterback Sam Howell came in and was overwhelmed, facing constant pressure and was sacked four times.

While the loss stung, it was Seahawks lack of fight and loss of Smith that stood out. Seattle was known to dominate their home games. That advantage has disappeared and the Seahawks have won a single home game in their last six. According to ESPN’s SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, that’s the second most losses for a team at home since week five (the Giants are worse as they have lost all six of their home games). Seattle’s a sub .500 team at home since November 2023. NBC broadcasters Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth saw throughout the game that the once feared and raucous fanbase was split with travelling diehards from Green Bay.

It was also Seattle’s third game this season where the offensive line allowed seven sacks or more in a game (also via SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt). That’s the most allowed by the franchise in a season. One issue is how many offensive linemen have been hurt and then returned to full health throughout the season. Still, NFC teams realize if they can beat Seattle’s offensive line, they’ll usually leave with a win. That’s why even if Geno Smith isn’t seriously hurt, he shouldn’t consider playing another game the rest of this season. His health shouldn’t result in at least one extra game in January.

Notes: The writer, editor and publisher is officially on break with the publishing of this article. This is the last Winners and Losers for the NFL season. Wild-card weekend playoff picks will be up before January eleventh.

Happy Holidays to you all. Many thanks to those who have read, liked, commented on and shared jdsportscorner.com articles this year. The first post of 2025 will contain more updates of my growing writing career in the sports journalism field. May you all enjoy the rest of 2024.

NFL Week 14 Winners and Losers

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The fourteenth week of the regular season eliminated teams from playoff contention and solidified division leaders. The postseason is a month away and most franchises are getting ready for a higher playoff seed or the offseason. Time to break down this weekends winners and losers.

Winners: Zach Charbonnet

Seattle went into Sunday without starting runningback Kenneth Walker III and played their second game against Arizona in three weeks. Not only did that put more pressure on starting quarterback Geno Smith to get creative and throw for more yards behind a young offensive line, it was a test for the runningbacks to get more positive yardage against a Cardinals defense that’s improved each week.

Charbonnet had his best game of the season and led Seattle to a 30-18 road win. He ran 22 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Charbonnet’s second score was a 51 yard run in the second quarter. That gave the Seahawks their first double digit lead of the afternoon.

One of the best parts of Zach Charbonnet’s breakout game was how he adapted. The offensive line did well and created open holes, but the backup runningback created a lot of problems for Arizona’s defensive front with his agility and creativity. Charbonnet’s big game led Seattle to their third divisional win of the season and shows coach Mike Macdonald can count on him in must-win games.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I wrote on here back in August that Atlanta or Tampa Bay would win the NFC south in a close race. December would be the month we’d see which team pulls away. It’s safe to say after Sunday the Buccaneers should be the team that wins the south.

Tampa Bay rolled over Las Vegas in a 28-13 home win. Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes for 295 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 101.9 quarterback rating. Mayfield started hot and played his best on the Buccaneers last scoring drive, throwing his third touchdown to receiver Jalen McMillan.

When Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made a field goal to cut Tampa’s lead to four, the Buccaneers defense knocked out quarterback Aidan O’Connell and played tighter defense. Tykee Smith’s interception off an O’Connell pass late in the third quarter eliminated any chance of Vegas getting their third win of the year.

It got better for the Buccaneers when Minnesota pulled away in the second half versus the Falcons and won 42-21. Tampa Bay is now in sole possession of first place of the NFC south. Both rivals have one team with a winning record each on their schedules, but that one game advantage after yesterday gives the Buccaneers the edge.

Byron Murphy Jr.’s one handed interception against Kirk Cousins

Speaking of Minnesota, their win wasn’t the only impressive feat against Atlanta.

Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. had a fabulous, one handed interception against Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. One would’ve thought he was the receiver if the uniforms weren’t different. Down 14, Atlanta had a chance to score and cut the Vikings lead to seven. That would’ve forced Minnesota to play smart and wear down Atlanta’s defense.

Murphy Jr’s sixth interception of the season sealed a Vikings win. He also downed the ball in the endzone, giving Minnesota enough room to start another scoring drive. That’s a play no one will forget anytime soon.

Losers: Will Levis

Tennessee had an opportunity to build offensive confidence, beat a division rival that’s almost quit the regular season, and give fans some hope. None of that happened in a home loss to Jacksonville.

Tennessee entered the fourth quarter against the Jaguars with six points. Starting quarterback Will Levis struggled against a defense that can’t stop deep-field threats and mobile quarterbacks. Levis excels in both areas, but went 19 of 32 for 168 yards.

The two most important drives of the game after Jacksonville took a four point lead turned into turnover on downs. Levis completed only short passes after Calvin Ridley’s 30 yard catch and run on the first play of the penultimate drive. His three straight, forced incompletions led to the Jaguars getting their third win of the season.

It’s been a wild year for Will Levis. His inability to get the Titans more wins due to his drop in play at serious moments validates the views he’s not a quarterback who can lead a franchise to at least a division title.

Buffalo Bills

Many sports pundits will harp on MVP front-runner Josh Allen’s amazing gamestats and laud Buffalo for only losing by two points to a playoff contender. The comeback and stats are ok, but losing on the road to a Rams team they were favored to beat makes the Bills one of Sundays biggest losers.

For one of the few times this season, Buffalo’s corners were outplayed as Los Angeles receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua did whatever they wanted for four quarters. The receiving duo combined for 17 catches, 254 yards and two touchdowns. When Kupp and Nacua weren’t shredding the Bills secondary, runningback Kyren Williams ran through Buffalo’s front seven with little resistance.

The loss is a step back for the Bills after they beat Kansas City and trailed them for the one seed by one loss. Buffalo is now the third seed in the AFC and would draw Baltimore on wildcard weekend if the standings stay the same. The Ravens pummeled the Bills early in the season and they have the better roster and coaching staff. There’s little chance Buffalo gets the one seed if Kansas City goes into Pittsburgh on Christmas and wins. That could hurt the heads of the same people going crazy over empty stats in a two point loss.

Thomas Brown’s coaching debut

What a circus in Chicago. Bears players and staff members wanted former coach Matt Eberflus fired after complaints of poor leadership and not wanting to win after a jaw-dropping Thanksgiving loss in Detroit. One would think that firing would’ve given Chicago a better chance to win, especially since their next opponent was a battered 49ers team on the road. Talk about wishful thinking.

It was a lopsided loss in San Francisco and the Bears didn’t score until the game was out of reach midway through the third quarter. Interim coach Thomas Brown had a week and a half to prepare Chicago against a depleted 49ers roster and a head coach that could be traded next year. At one point in the first half, San Francisco had 310 yards on offense while the Bears had two. The score made people wonder if the 49ers All-Pro offense was fully healthy.

There’s one month of Chicago football left and that might be too long for any serious fan. Brown has four games left to show why he can be a head coach. Unfortunately they’re all against playoff favorites, (three are against division rivals). It’s also possible Chicago considers another full roster rebuild if things look worse by January.

NFL Week Eleven Winners and Losers

jminx945 Comments

The eleventh week of the NFL season was as chaotic and fun. The upsets shocked not just the football world but the playoff picture in both conferences. There’s still a lot to process and breakdown because most fans and analysts didn’t expect so many highlights. Time to break down the best and worst of week eleven.

Winners: Taysom Hill

Anyone who’s watched the NFL for a while knows the Saints’ Taysom Hill is one of the best gadget players in the league. He can play any position on offense or special teams. Hill had one of his best career games Sunday.

Taysom Hill completed two passes for 18 yards and an interception, but he had a better day running and catching the football. The former quarterback turned tight-end ran seven times for 138 yards and three touchdowns, caught eight passes for 50 yards, and ran for 42 kick return yards. His first score gave New Orleans their first lead of the game. His last two in the fourth quarter sealed the Saints’ fourth win of the season.

New Orleans had their best offensive game since week two back in September. Interim coach Darren Rizzi is finally getting production from offensive players like Taysom Hill. Both have figured out that if the Saints want to stay alive in the playoff race, they have to run the football and dominate time of possession.

Miami Dolphins

Miami went from a solid, Monday night win in Los Angeles to playing a home game against the Raiders coming off a bye week. It would be understandable if the Dolphins played terrible given the timing. However, Miami played better than they did last Monday night.

The Dolphins offense started hot with a quick touchdown from starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to tight-end Jonnu Smith. After Vegas trailed by four with Daniel Carlson’s second field goal in the game, Miami made second half adjustments and got their second touchdown from receiver Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins followed up with a 17 point fourth quarter from Smith, runningback De’Von Achane and kicker Jason Sanders.

While it was a good sign the offense played better each quarter, the defense again stepped up and had another good performance. They sacked quarterback Gardner Minshew II three times, intercepted him once and gave up 268 passing yards. Outside of a Jakobi Meyers 20 yard run, the rushing game was snuffed out.

Miami’s back to two games under .500 after a week. Many expected the Dolphins to fade away with other AFC hopefuls playing well since October. Miami has New England and their first of two games against the Jets the next three weeks. The Dolphins could return as a playoff threat before Christmas.

Geno Smith and Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Seattle struggled to beat San Francisco since star quarterback Russell Wilson was traded to Denver. The 49ers beat the Seahawks six straight times heading into Sunday’s matchup. Seattle needed quarterback Geno Smith to play well and keep their postseason hopes alive with a division win.

Smith completed 25 of his 32 passes for 221 yards and an 82.4 passer rating. Although he threw an interception to start the second half, Geno Smith led an eleven play, 85 yard drive that included passes of 10+ yards to receivers D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the Seahawks’ final drive of the game. Smith ran for the winning touchdown with 12 seconds left.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba had another big game with ten catches on eleven targets for 110 yards. Four of those catches went for 38 yards on the final drive and kept Seattle’s chances of victory alive. Smith-Njigba’s had 17 catches for 290 yards and two touchdowns his last two games. Per the Seahawks PR department, that’s the third most over a two game span in franchise history, and the most for any receiver this century. Only retired Hall-of-Famer Steve Largent did this (more than once) with more yards. The sophomore wide receiver’s talent and growth helps Seattle’s chances of winning the NFC west.

Losers: Cleveland’s last first half possession in New Orleans

The Saints offense made it easy in the fourth quarter versus Cleveland, but before the offensive barrage began, the Browns kept it close for three quarters. While it didn’t determine the outcome, Cleveland could’ve had a better second half game-plan if they scored at the end of the first half.

The Browns had a 14 play, 84 yard drive that began after the two minute warning. Quarterback Jameis Winston led a good drive, but stalled a couple of plays into New Orleans’ redzone. After Winston threw incomplete past Cedric Thompson, kicker Dustin Hopkins came onto the field for a 33 yard field goal. He hooked it left for a miss.

Yet the Browns caught a break. A side judge called a penalty on the Saints for holding. That meant Cleveland had a fresh set of downs with eleven seconds left and could either cut the deficit to four or take the lead. Jameis Winston threw two incomplete passes at New Orleans’ nine yard line in four seconds. The Browns opted for another Dustin Hopkins field goal attempt, this one for 25 yards.

Hopkins hooked it left for another miss as time expired.

Justin Tucker

If someone told me the first kicker would make the losers column eleven weeks into the season, I could believe it. If I was told it would be one of the most accurate kickers of all-time in Justin Tucker, that would be a shock. It’s also a shock this is one of Tucker’s worst seasons half-way into the year.

The difference between Pittsburgh having a two game, first place lead and Baltimore having the tie-breaker for first place came down to two missed field goals by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. The Steelers didn’t score a touchdown against their division rival, but their kicker Chris Boswell made all six field goal attempts. Tucker missed two late in the first quarter and is no longer the most accurate kicker in NFL history. The Steelers won 18-16.

Part of Tucker’s struggles are miscommunication with the new ball-holder after punter Sam Koch retired. While that’s understandable for some of his early season misses, it doesn’t explain why Baltimore relies more on quarterback Lamar Jackson near mid-field than they would with their kicker. Perhaps it’s a one season issue, but it’s something to be aware of before the playoffs.

Kansas City Chiefs offense

Kansas City finally lost their first regular season game since December 2023 on Sunday. Buffalo played their most complete game of the season and left no doubt who was the better team. Conversations about how the Chiefs offense have multi-layered problems ring true.

If Kansas City put up better offensive stats, the nine point loss wouldn’t be seen as a big issue. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes II might’ve thrown less than 200 yards and two interceptions, but he also threw three touchdowns and gave the Chiefs a lead multiple times in the first half. While runningback Kareem Hunt ran 14 times for 60 yards, no one else had more than one rushing attempt.

The receivers weren’t much better. Xavier Worthy was the leading receiver with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. All of Worthy’s stats were on Kansas City’s first touchdown of the game, and 31 of those yards were on one catch. This would’ve been a great game for Worthy to be the featured receiver and continue a breakout game. Instead he disappeared after the scoring drive and couldn’t use his speed to separate himself from defensive backs. DeAndre Hopkins being used on slant routes isn’t creating mismatches downfield and increases risks of dangerous throws. Even tight-ends Noah Gray and Travis Kelce struggle finding separation against opposing linebackers.

It doesn’t help that even if Mahomes recognizes these issues, he’s trying to cover it up by doing too much. That always leads to more turnovers and scoring opportunities for opposing offenses. Buffalo’s first touchdown and lead came after a Patrick Mahomes interception 45 seconds into the game. The offense has to fix a lot of things and start using dynamic playmakers in the right ways.

Note: NFL’s Winners and Losers will not be published until mid-December due to the writer, editor and publisher having personal reasons and time off. Publications will resume around the conclusion of week 14. The NBA and NHL power rankings will return around U.S. Thanksgiving.

NFL Week Ten Winners and Losers

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It was a fun-filled and memorable week ten. There was a game in Germany, coaches and players shed tears, a roller coaster matchup in Washington D.C. and a wild Sunday night game. Then there’s playoff implications for a lot of teams struggling to stay above .500. In an eventful weekend, here are the winners and losers.

Winners: Minnesota Vikings defense

Minnesota’s win in Jacksonville was brutal. Both offenses were awful and struggled to score. The Vikings stole a win thanks to their defense.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores had the defense ready to confuse backup quarterback Mac Jones (more on him later) and shut down the Jaguars running game. The Viking defense had three sacks and two interceptions against Jones while running back Travis Etienne Jr.’s afternoon highlight was an 18 yard gain in the first quarter.

Minnesota has to fix the offense after a few ugly games, but the defense is getting head coach Kevin O’Connell needed wins to stay alive in the playoff race.

Russell Wilson

It’s been a long time since Russell Wilson was in the winners column. The 13 year veteran quarterback has been through a lot of challenges the last three years but is almost back to his elite form.

Sunday’s win in Washington gave viewers a taste of how coveted Wilson was in previous offseasons. He completed 14 of 28 passes for 195 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 93.6 passer rating. All three of his scores gave Pittsburgh a lead at some point in the game. His last passing touchdown went to new trade acquisition Mike Williams for 32 yards with two and a half minutes left in the game.

Wilson playing better football with an improving offensive line makes Pittsburgh one of the more dangerous teams in the AFC. They’ll be fun to watch the rest of the month if the offense keeps playing like they did against the Commanders.

Philadelphia Eagles offense

Any team playing Dallas the second half of the season is probably going to put up a lot of points and yards. However, Sunday’s win in Texas gives the Eagles offense more confidence heading into Thursday’s first divisional matchup against Washington.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts was the star of Sunday’s divisional beatdown. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 202 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a 115 passer rating. Hurts also ran seven times for 56 yards and two scores. Philadelphia would’ve hit 40 points if head coach Nick Sirianni didn’t pull him in the fourth quarter.

Runningback Saquon Barkley didn’t have to do much with Hurts getting most of the points. He ran 14 times for 66 yards and caught a 12 yard pass. Sirianni also let him rest in the fourth quarter to make sure he gets more usage Thursday. Top receiver A.J. Brown had 109 yards on five catches and former first round pick Jahan Dotson is getting more game reps. The offense gets better and more dangerous every week. It’s quietly made Philadelphia the second best team in the NFC.

Sunday Night Football

The Lions and Texans might have played the best Sunday night football game anyone’s watched in the last year. Unlike other slotted primetime games (more on those later), Detroit versus Houston lived up to and surpassed expectations.

The Texans roared out to a 23-7 first half lead, catching the Lions off-guard. Star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was held to two catches on three targets at halftime. Both quarterbacks threw seven combined interceptions, with Jared Goff throwing five (Goff threw a total of four the first nine weeks of the season). Defensive backs Carlton Davis and Kamari Lassiter had two interceptions each and the opposing defenses found ways to neutralize each offenses go-to receivers.

Detroit’s comeback started before Goff’s fourth interception. After getting their second touchdown of the game, the Lions missed the two point conversion. The defense made sure Houston’s offense never found rhythm in the second half and flustered sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud IV. Detroit kicker Jake Bates had a game-tying and game-winning field goal that almost bounced off the goal uprights. Audiences won’t forget this game anytime soon.

Losers: Whoever is Jacksonville’s starting quarterback

There’s been a lot of criticism of Jaguars starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence for years. No matter what you think of how average he (at best) plays, Lawrence could have gotten Jacksonville their third win of the season if he started Sunday.

That honor went to fellow 2018 first round pick Mac Jones since Trevor Lawrence was out with what could be a season ending shoulder injury. Jones had a good start, giving the Jaguars a lead with a one yard touchdown run in the first quarter. It went downhill from there.

Jones barely threw over 100 yards and his two interceptions came at the worst time after Minnesota took the lead midway through the fourth quarter. He had a hard time finding open receivers and completed only one pass longer than 20 yards. Mac Jones isn’t a mobile threat either as he ran four other times for seven yards (outside of his touchdown run).

A lot of viewers wondered how Trevor Lawrence regressed after an epic playoff collapse against Los Angeles in early 2023. Watching Jacksonville play offense for four quarters yesterday showed it might be everything quarterback related and not just the injured starter.

Indianapolis Colts offense

Indianapolis is in the middle of the playoff race after getting back to .500. A big part of why was due to the offense playing better and the receivers improving each game with Joe Flacco at quarterback. Those days could be a distant memory after Sunday.

Flacco completed 26 of 35 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions. His second touchdown was a meaningless ten yarder to Alec Pierce with eight seconds left in the game. Joe Flacco was a big reason the Colts lost against a better coached Bills team. Buffalo was more aggressive after cornerback Taron Johnson returned a 23 yard interception for a touchdown early in the game. After Indianapolis got their first lead in the second quarter, the offense couldn’t run out the clock to end the half. That meant Buffalo’s offense had one more chance to score. The Bills got a field goal as time expired.

Joe Flacco led the offense to three straight turnovers in the second half: a sack fumble, turnover on downs, and an interception. Buffalo got ten points off those turnovers and put the game out of reach before Indianapolis’ last score. Many will blame Joe Flacco for the loss, but offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and head coach Shane Steichen should’ve made more changes after one of those second half turnovers.

Todd Bowles

It’s rare a veteran, Super Bowl winning coach gets unlucky twice in one week. Head coach Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers were dealt another deflating loss Sunday after playing for a tie.

Bowles probably had the right plan, but Chase McLaughlin’s 26 yard field goal on fourth and goal at San Francisco’s eight yard line left too much time on the clock for the 49ers offense. Quarterback Brock Purdy had a great game and San Francisco’s offense got a lot of yards throughout the afternoon. There was a good chance the 49ers could get a game winning score with 44 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Purdy did his best, throwing four passes for 39 yards in 34 seconds. Kicker Jake Moody made his only kick of the game for 44 yards. Tampa took their second loss in a row.

It’s worse knowing NFC south-leading Atlanta lost to a Saints team that fired their head coach last week. The Buccaneers have battled injuries throughout the season and now bad luck decisions from their head coach. Their bye week came at the best time.

Whoever scheduled the late afternoon games

There were complaints before the season began that Germany would be stuck with the worst game of the year in Giants versus Panthers. That matchup turned out to be decent compared to what U.S. audiences got late Sunday afternoon on CBS and FOX.

The most competitive game of the later afternoon trio was Tennessee at Los Angeles. The Titans offense had little chance of scoring more than ten points against one of the league’s best defenses, but it was close. Arizona and Philadelphia obliterated their opponents by halftime. While the Jets have quit on the season and their interim head coach, the Cowboys are one of the most inept teams to the point AT&T stadium blinds their own receivers when trying to score. The media made this a trending topic and several quotes from receiver CeeDee Lamb and owner Jerry Jones went viral.

After ten weeks of regular season action, one ponders why the league hasn’t flexed better games into the late afternoon spot. Denver v. Kansas City would’ve been a more thrilling matchup than watching gaffe-prone Will Levis and backup quarterback Cooper Rush get slapped around for three hours.